If one wants to know how divided the USA is today go no further than checking out CNN and MSNBC then checking out Fox. The first two focus on the virus and the Trump attempts at overturning the election. Fox focus is on Hunter Biden and a 2015 spy story about a Democrat who is on the Intelligence Committee. Fox is pro Trump in orientation so is pushing stories that might discredit the President Elect Biden and the Democratic Party so they don’t have to dwell on the continued failed Trump people attempts to overturn the election. It’s like watching two different countries.

What is interesting from an intelligence perspective is the obvious big picture that there are governments that want to influence the US elections, or want to get secrets, or simply disrupt so America does not look so good and its model of government by comparison doesn’t look much different from what some other government is doing. For Fox – the effort is to say China is the main point which makes the Russia situation that led to an impeachment of a Republican President seem less a problem. Unfortunately any intelligent person realizes that they are simply proving the point that foreign governments DO try to get to know and influence US politicians.  They do to BOTH Republicans and Democrats so BOTH need to be on their guard. Fox now says that the Republicans are concerned about Representative Swalwell (a Democrat) and want him removed from the Intelligence Committee.

The same thing is being said about President Trump by various Democrats.  The Trump people, as clearly outlined in the Muller investigation DID in fact have questionable relationships with Russians – as we see Trump do on a video.  The point is simply that both China and Russia are competitors and in many ways operate counter to US interests – each with a different agenda and raison d’etre but both potentially dangerous.

If you live in Europe, and NATO and the relationship and support of the US is important then Russia looks far more dangerous than China. The reality is each can be considered adversaries but for different reasons. For the US the China relationship is much more complex than Russia given the huge dependence of US industry on China and the mutual ties that have been built up over the past few decades.

Of course if you want to look at the business of spying – look at company to company spying – car companies, drug companies, – tech companies – thats where the bulk of spying occurs. Meanwhile the contention that Biden is going to be soft on China has no basis in fact. Looking at the past can be just as damning to Trump as to Biden. We all remember how Trump praised China and boasted of his great relationship with Xi Jinping just a couple of years ago. Let’s also remember that China’s recent military expansion is far more evident today than it was in the past. If one was supportive of China ten years ago, one might very well not be so today. Things change.